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Universal Pictures builds hype for Hop via interactive mobile ads

Universal Pictures is using mobile ads to promote its new ?Hop? film and let consumers learn more about it.

The company is running mobile video ads within Us Weekly?s mobile site. Universal Pictures has used mobile advertising in the past to drive user engagement.

?The Us Weekly mobile site is a great venue for Universal Pictures to run mobile ads,? said Marci Troutman, CEO of SiteMinis, Atlanta.

?The demographic is perfect for moviegoers looking for a movie deal, a movie preview or to find out what?s coming up next,? she said.

Ms. Troutman is not affiliated with Universal Pictures. She commented based on her expertise on the subject.

Universal Pictures did not respond to press inquiries.

Movie magic
The Universal Pictures banner ad promotes the new Hop Blu-ray and DVD release.

The mobile ad lets users watch a trailer of the film to learn more about it.

The Universal Pictures mobile ad

Additionally, when consumers tap on the mobile banner ad, they are redirected to a mobile landing page where they can view the plot of the film, see what other fans are saying about it, check out the movie?s gallery and buy the film.

If consumers choose to buy the film they are redirected to Amazon?s mobile site where they can check out their purchase from there.

Running a mobile ad campaign such as this is a good way for Universal to reach a broad amount of users.

Additionally, adding a video component to the mobile ad helps the company further engage with users on a deeper level.

Consumers are constantly on their mobile device and are increasingly using their handsets to make purchases.

Past efforts
Universal Pictures has been using mobile quite a bit in the past to help drive awareness and sales of its films.

Last year, the company used Microsoft Tag technology to promote its ?Bridesmaids? film. 

The promotional campaign featured mobile bar codes on full-page ads for the film that ran in Cosmopolitan, InStyle, People StyleWatch and UsWeekly magazine (see story).

More recently, the company partnered with HSN on a multichannel campaign that promotes its upcoming ?Snow White and the Huntsman? movie (see story).  

?Young parents looking for news and seeing an ad for the Hop film will likely click the ad to find out more,? Ms. Troutman said.

?Perfectly placed mobile ads that target the right demographic to a landing page with a preview, deal or news is the right way to use mobile ad marketing,? she said.

Final Take
Rimma Kats is associate editor on Mobile Marketer, New York